Energex: If we can't get to you, we can't repair damage

130,000 homes and businesses across south-east Queensland had their electricity services restored on Tuesday, but thousands are still without power.

As food rots, rain water pumps sit silent and people swelter, there are increasing questions about whether Energex has done and is continuing to do all they can to reconnect power.

Media relations manager Graham Metcalf spoke to ABC's Rob Blackmore and said, like everyone, Energex was taken by surprise by the 'unprecedented weather system'.

"I've been in areas during and after a cyclone and the conditions ... are very similar to what we've had here.

"Normally after storms we can get crews out once that storm rolls through."

He says their crews wanted to get out to start repairs, but it just wasn't possible in this case.

"We couldn't, for safety reasons, send our crews out in the initial time period.

"And of course the rain was still falling, the rivers were rising, we really weren't sure what we had."

Staff cuts?

In answer to suggestions that delays are due to staff cuts, Mr Metcalf says Energex has as many field crews this year as they have had in the last several years.

"We could have had had another 10,000 crews and we still wouldn't have been able to send them out in those conditions."

Prioritising infrastructure work

When crews could get on the ground, Mr Metcalf says they had to prioritise their work.

"The first job we had to do was assess the damage of powerlines down. We had more than 4,000 wires down across south-east Queensland."

He says that was their focus for the first day.

"The next day," he says, "was all about hospitals, water treatment plants, telecommunications systems."

"[Tuesday] was traffic lights, main roads - trying to get that infrastructure on."

Reconnecting homes

Having fixed what Mr Metcalf calls 'the backbone to the system' - "the high voltage lines which supply suburb to suburb and then suburb to street" - crews have been able to move their focus to individual homes and businesses.

He says they have been working closely with emergency services to ensure their work can be done safely.

"Electricity and water [is] not a good combination."

Mr Metcalf says Energex's aim today is to get power back on in all areas they can get access to.

"We're going to have about 400 crews across the network."

He says in areas where creeks are still up, including many areas in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, reconnection is dependent on when access is possible.

"If we can't get to you, we can't repair any damage."

He says people can call 13 62 62 for more information, where 100-150 energex staff are taking phone calls.

"We're starting to get far more detailed analysis now ... we'll give as much information as we can."